Skip to content

Bill Gates Warns Malicious AI Could Cause a Billion Deaths and Wipe Out Humanity

Sep 28, 2026
Axios
Article image for Bill Gates Warns Malicious AI Could Cause a Billion Deaths and Wipe Out Humanity

Summary

Bill Gates warns that malicious actors using advanced AI could cause a billion deaths or even wipe out humanity, telling NBC’s Kristen Welker that no prior weapon has combined such destructive potential with such broad accessibility.

Key Points

  • Bill Gates warns that AI is powerful enough to cause a billion deaths and could wipe out humanity if used by people with ill intent.
  • Gates tells NBC's Kristen Welker that no previous weapon matches the power of malicious actors combined with the latest AI tools.
  • In an August memo, Gates says AI could be history's greatest equalizer or its worst source of injustice and urges governments and political parties to prevent it from spiraling out of control.

Tags

Read Original Article